Parking structure

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a parking structure for accommodating a plurality of vehicles in individual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories having parking spaces, a rotary platform for receiving each vehicle, a lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down from the entry/exit of the parking tower to the stories and from the stories back to the entry/exit of the tower, and a carriage assembly for transferring the vehicles between the rotary platform and the lifting platform and between the lifting platform and the stories.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an arrangement for carryingvehicles and parking the same in a parking structure and, moreparticularly, the invention refers to a parking structure wherein aplurality of vehicles, such as cars, trucks, etc., are handled,preferably automatically, for parking purposes into a parking buildingcomprising a plurality of stories either upper stories or undergroundparking spaces, wherein the drivers may leave the vehicles at anentry/exit of the building and the vehicles are taken to andaccommodated into a corresponding parking space.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Due to the increasing number of vehicles, particularly in largecities, towns and urban centers, it is a concern for most town councilsto find the best solutions to the problem of so many vehicles parked inpublic streets. It is well known that in these towns the availability ofspaces to provide outdoor parking lots is scant because the availablespace is generally used for construction of buildings either for officesor homes.

[0005] In addition to typical outdoor parking lots there are also knownthe parking buildings comprising a plurality of stories with parkingspaces in each story, at which stories the vehicles are driven throughramps by their drivers or driver personnel in the parking building.While the spaces for parking in these buildings are economical ascompared to a parking lot, there still is a lot of volume and space inthe building that is not used for parking but it is necessary for theconstruction of the ramps generally two-way ramps necessary for thevehicles going up and going down.

[0006] There are also other structures for parking vehicles wherein adeep underground construction similar to a lifter is installed whereby acar enters the lifters, with a driver within the vehicle and when thelifter reaches the desired story the driver brings the vehicle to thedesired parking space. This system is not only used in undergroundstructures but also in upper parking structures.

[0007] It would be therefore convenient to have a new system for parkingvehicles wherein the vehicles can be accommodated automatically withoutthe need of a driver and the structure is compact enough to save theavailable lot space and volume for obtaining the most number of vehiclesparked in the structure, even in narrow lots not exceeding the 8-10meters wide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide aparking structure for accommodating a plurality of vehicles inindividual parking spaces, the parking structure comprising a parkingtower including an entry/exit and a plurality of parking stories havingparking spaces, a rotary platform for receiving each vehicle, a liftingplatform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down from the entry/exit ofthe parking tower to the stories and from the stories back to theentry/exit of the tower, and a transfer carriage assembly fortransferring the vehicles between the rotary platform and the liftingplatform and between the lifting platform and the stories.

[0009] It is still another object of the present invention to provide aparking structure for receiving a plurality of vehicles capable of beingaccommodated in individual parking spaces, the parking structurecomprising a parking tower including an entry/exit and a plurality ofparking stories, each story having at least one parking space, a rotaryplatform adjacent the entry/exit of the parking tower for receiving avehicle and rotating the same for placing the vehicle in a position forentering the parking tower or for exiting the parking tower, a liftingplatform in the tower for carrying the vehicles from the entry/exit ofthe parking tower to a desired one of the stories of the tower, and fromthe desired story back to the entry/exit of the tower, and a transfercarriage assembly movable between a position in said rotary platform fortaking a vehicle from the platform and a position in said liftingplatform for carrying the vehicle in the lifting platform up or down tothe desire story, and movable from the position in the lifting platformto a position in the parking story for leaving the vehicle in thedesired parking space, and movable back from the position in the parkingstory, at the parking space, to the position in the lifting platform forcarrying the vehicle back to the entry of the tower, and movable fromthe position in the lifting platform to the position in the rotaryplatform for leaving the vehicle in the rotary platform.

[0010] The above and other objects, features and advantages of thisinvention will be better understood when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The present invention is illustrated by way of example in thefollowing drawings wherein:

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of the parking structure of theinvention, at a level where the rotary platform and the entry/exit arearranged, with the transfer carriage assembly, the lifting platform forcarrying the vehicles up and down, three parking spaces and a vehiclebeing illustrated;

[0013]FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of the parking structure of theinvention, at a level of one of the stories, with three parking spacesat one side, at three parking spaces at the other side of the liftingplatform being illustrated;

[0014]FIG. 3 shows a side elevational view of the parking structure ofthe invention, with a supporting tower for the lifting platform and thelifting means for moving the platform up and down being depicted;

[0015]FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the rotary platform, thecarriage assembly and lifting platform of the invention, with parts ofthe structure removed for clarity purposes and a vehicle onto the rotaryplatform being illustrated before entering the lifting platform;

[0016]FIG. 5 shows a perspective view similar to the one of FIG. 4, withthe carriage assembly in another operative position;

[0017]FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the carriage assembly, liftingplatform and parking spaces of the invention, with parts of thestructure removed for clarity purposes and a vehicle onto the carriageassembly being illustrated before entering a parking space;

[0018]FIG. 7 shows a perspective view similar to the one of FIG. 6, withthe vehicle in the parking space; and

[0019]FIG. 8 shows a bottom plan view of the rotary platform of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Now referring in detail to the drawings it may be seen from FIGS.1-3 that the parking structure of the invention comprises a rotaryplatform 1 arranged in front of, or at the entry/exit of, a parkingstructure including a lifting platform 2 for carrying the vehicles 5 upand down from a level at which platform 1 is located to at least adesired parking space 4 in a desired story. Platform 2 is mounted in asupporting tower 3 and is guided thereon to run up and down between aplurality of stories wherein the at least one parking space is arranged.Each story includes preferably a plurality of parking spaces, andvehicle 5 is illustrated in one of them in FIG. 1. Other vehicles 5 aand 5 b are illustrated in FIG. 2 in one of the upper stories. Theinventive parking structure may be made of any suitable material suchconcrete, metallic or pre-molded materials.

[0021] Rotary platform 1 comprises at least three sections, two sidecircular sectors 6, 7, and a central sector 8 diametrically extending insaid platform and comprising a central plate 9 movable between an upperposition, FIG. 4, closer to the two side sectors, and a lower position,FIG. 5, below and spaced apart from the two side sectors. At the lowerposition illustrated in FIG. 4, a transfer carriage assembly 10,comprising a lower carriage 17 and an upper carriage 18 mounted onto thelower carriage, is capable of cooperating with the central section ofthe rotary platform to lift the vehicle in order to take it and bring itinto lifting platform 2.

[0022] Once a vehicle to be parked in the structure of the invention isplaced onto rotary platform 1 in the direction shown in FIGS. 4, 5,plate 9 is moved down to the position shown in FIG. 5 and the vehicleremains supported by a plurality of horizontal fingers 15 and 15′extending from side sectors 6, 7, towards central sector 8. Then, uppercarriage 18 moves onto plate 9 and is moved up until the wheels of thevehicle are supported by horizontal fingers 24, 24′, extending at bothsides of carriage 18. Carriage 18 moves back onto lower carriage 17 andlifting platform 2 moves up to the desired story, with lower carriage 17moving transversely along platform 2 to the desired parking space in thestory. Then, upper carriage 18 moves onto the story and leaves thevehicle in the parking space. This operation will be better describedlater.

[0023] As it was stated above, the level at the rotary platform includesparking spaces only at one side of supporting tower 3, however in theupper levels, FIG. 3, the parking spaces are preferably arranged at bothsides of tower 3. While in the practice is possible to arrange aplurality of parking stories up and down of the level wherein the rotaryplatform is arranged, generally at the street level, the structure ofthe present invention is preferably applicable to rising constructionsinstead of underground constructions. FIG. 3 illustrates three parkingstories, the ground level N1, and two upper stories N2 and N3, withstories N2 and N3 including parking spaces 4 at each side of tower 3. Asit was mentioned before, the number of stories will depend of theavailable space, particular government regulations, applications, etc.

[0024] Even tough FIG. 2 illustrates three parking spaces at each sideof tower 3, more or less parking spaces may be provided with the liftingplatform adapted to the extension of the spaces or more than one tower 3may be provided with the necessary means for allowing lifting platform 2to cover all the parking spaces. In addition, another row of parkingspaces may be arranged behind the row illustrated at each side of tower3 to increase the number of parking spaces. If a vehicle must be removedfrom such another row with the front row being fully occupied, thesystem will operate by clearing or disoccupying the front row, namely bymeans of a “clearance” operation.

[0025] The up and down movement of platform 2 is provided by drivinghydraulic means, more particularly a hydraulic cylinder 11 is connectedto steel wires, or resisting cables 12, which in turn are connected, atone end to the ground or any part of the structure or supporting tower,and at another end to the lifting platform via rolling means in a toptransverse beam 13 connected at a top or upper end of cylinder 11, as itis clearly illustrated in FIG. 3. The capacity of cylinders 11 formoving platform 2 is duplicated thank to this arrangement as well as thetransmission relationship given by cables 12 and beam 13 reduces theforce necessary for driving cylinders 11 to a value that is about thehalf value of the one that would be necessary with a conventionalsystem; in addition, this construction also increases the effectivevelocity of platform 2 when moving up and down.

[0026] Making reference to more details of the use and the constructionof the structure of the invention, side sectors 6, 7, includes edges 14from which a plurality of first set of fingers 15 and second set of twofingers 15′ extend towards the central sector of platform 1. Fingers 15are adapted to support the rear wheels of the vehicle and a couple offingers 15′ are adapted to receive and preferably nest the leadingwheels of the vehicle. Pivoting plates 9′ may be also placed associatedto fingers 15′, and connected to hydraulic mechanisms (not illustrated)for pivoting the plates between a rising position for defining a stopfor the forward movement of the vehicle and a horizontal position forpermitting the movement of the vehicle. Plate 9 includes a pair of rails16 for permitting, when in the lower position shown in FIG. 5, carriage18 running over the rails and entering and/or exiting the rotaryplatform.

[0027] Lifting platform 2 comprises a substantially rectangular framehaving a pair of opposite sides forming corresponding rails 19 forreceiving wheels 20 of lower carriage 17. More particularly, carriage 17has a pair of longitudinal beams 21 including wheels 20 running alongthe tracks defined by rails 19 of platform 2, wherein carriage 17 canmove from one end to the opposite one in platform 2. In addition, beams21 serve as rails for receiving and guiding wheels 22 of carriage 18,wherein beams 21 are capable of being aligned with longitudinal rails 16of central plate 9.

[0028] Carriage assembly is provided with lifting means for movingcarriage 18 up and down between a lower position shown in FIG. 4 and anupper position shown in FIG. 5. This lifting means comprises two pairsof pivoting arms 23 and at least one hydraulic cylinder 30 connected tothe pivoting arms for moving the arms around a connection, at an end ofthe arms, in the upper carriage. Each arm also has an opposite endincluding one of wheels 22.

[0029] Wheels 20 and 22 may be of the type including motor meansincorporated therein, that is auto motion wheels, very well known forany person skilled in the art. Thus, the transfer carriage assembly isprovided with driving means for moving the upper carriage longitudinallyalong beams 21 of lower carriage 17, along rails 16 of central plate 9and along the parking spaces, and for moving the lower carriage alongrails 19 of the lifting platform.

[0030] Like fingers 15, 15′ of sectors 6, 7, fingers 24, 24′ of uppercarriage 18 are arranged in two sets of fingers, namely a first set offingers 24 and a second set or couple of fingers 24′. For lifting thevehicle as shown in FIG. 5, fingers 15, 15′ define inter digital spacesand fingers 24, 24′ are so arranged that each finger 24, 24′ passesthrough a corresponding inter digital space between two adjacent fingers15, 15′. When the vehicle is lifted, carriage 18 moves back to thelifting platform carrying the vehicle. For achieving a correct operationof all the fingers, carriage 18 must be correctly aligned with sectors6, 7 and, hence, with fingers 15, 15′. Thus, a pair of intermediaterails 25 are provided with ends having cavities for receivingcorresponding pins 26 and 27 extending from rails 16 and 21,respectively, thus guarantying the alignment of rails 21 and 16 for acorrect longitudinal movement of carriage 18 into and out of rotaryplatform and into and out of lifting platform 2.

[0031]FIGS. 6, 7 show a sequence of movements wherein the vehicle isbeing transferred from lifting platform 2 into a parking space. Theparking space comprises a vehicle supporting frame 4 including a pair ofrails 29 and a plurality of horizontal fingers 28, 28′, extending ateach side of the supporting frame for receiving corresponding wheels ofthe vehicle. Like fingers 15, 15′ and 24, 24′, fingers 28, 28′ comprisea first set of fingers 28 for receiving and supporting the rear wheelsof the vehicle and a second set, namely a pair fingers 28′, forreceiving and supporting the leading wheels of the vehicle. Also,fingers 28, 28′ define inter-digital spaces, and the fingers of uppercarriage 18 are so arranged for being capable of passing throughcorresponding ones of said inter-digital spaces of fingers 28, 28′ ofvehicle supporting frames 4, for leaving the vehicle onto the vehiclesupporting frame. Like in the transfer from the rotary platform tolifting platform 2, the transfer of the vehicle from lifting platform 2to the vehicle supporting frame must be safe and, rails 29 and 21 mustbe perfectly aligned, which alignment is achieved by the coupling ofpins 27′ into cavities provided in rails 29. While the vehiclesupporting frames have been illustrated as integral frames, rails 29 maybe fixed to the floor of the story and fingers 28, 28′ may beindependently mounted and fixed in the story floor.

[0032] Rotary platform 2 is mounted within a cylindrical cavity,indicated by reference number 31 in FIG. 8, made in the floor of theconstruction, at the entry and exit of the parking structure. The rotaryplatform is mounted in a rotary square frame 32 including a set ofdriving wheels 33 actuated by hydraulic motors 34, and driven wheels 35connected, by means of Cardan joints, to the driving wheels. Stabilizingwheels 37 are also provided at the sides of square frame 32 forstabilizing the support and rotation of the platform. Side sectors 6, 7include perimetral centering wheels 38 that are horizontally arrangedand run on a cylindrical wall 39 of cavity 31 whereby the platform isprevented from entering into contact with the wall during rotation.

[0033] When operating the structure and system of the invention, avehicle is entered and placed onto rotary platform 1, in an enteringposition, with its forward movement restricted by stopping plates 9′ asshown in FIG. 4, and pins 26 retracted into rails 16. Plate 9 is moveddown until reaching the alignment position wherein rails 16 and 25 arealigned and plates 9′ are moved to their horizontal position forpermitting the movement of the vehicle. Each leading wheel of thevehicle is nested between the pair of fingers 24′ without the vehiclerunning the risk of moving.

[0034] Transfer carriage assembly 17-18 is moved until beams 21 arealigned with intermediate rails 25 with pins 27 retracted into rails orbeams 21. Then, pins 26 and 27 are actuated in order to extend out oftheir respective rails 16, 21 into corresponding cavities in rails 25 inorder to guarantee the stable alignment of rails 16, 21, and 25. Uppercarriage 18 is then moved along rails 21, 25 and 16 and into rotaryplatform 1, onto plate 9. When carriage 18 is in plate 9, cylinder 30 isactuated to move pivoting arms and lift carriage 18 to the upperposition in order that fingers 24, 24′ pass through the inter digitalgaps or spaces defined between the corresponding fingers 15, 15′, thuslifting the vehicle as shown in FIG. 5. With the carriage in the upperposition, the driving mechanisms are actuated for moving carriage 18back to lower carriage 17 and once carriage 18 is entirely on carriage17 arms 23 are lowered back to the position of FIG. 4 and pins 27, andpreferably also pins 26, are retracted for disengagement from rails 25.

[0035] Subsequently, lifting mechanisms 11, 12, 13 are actuated formoving lifting platform 2 up, or down if the construction is anunderground one, until reaching the desired parking story having atleast one empty parking space for the vehicle. Once in the story level,transfer carriage assembly 17/18 is moved transversely along rails 19and is stopped at a position in front of the empty space 4, with pins27′ retracted until rails 21 and 29 are aligned. When rails 21 and 29are aligned as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, pins 27′ are extended out of rails21 and into corresponding cavities in rails 29 to guarantee the alignedcoupling between rails 21 and 29. Then, in this position, cylinder 30 isactuated again to move carriage 18 up and carriage 18 is moved alongrails 21 and 29 and into frame 4 with arms 23 passing through a centralportion of frame 4 without interfering with fingers 28, 28′. Oncecarriage 18 is onto frame 4, with fingers 24′ above fingers 28′ andfingers 24 above fingers 28, carriage 18 is moved down permittingfingers 24′ and 24 passing down through the inter digital spaces definedbetween fingers 28′ and 28, thus leaving the vehicle supported ontoframe 4, with the rear wheels onto fingers 28 and the leading wheelsonto fingers 28′, as shown in FIG. 7. Then, carriage 18 is moved backonto carriage 17, pins 27′ are retracted, lifting platform 2 is moved upor down to the level of rotary platform 1, and carriage assembly 17/18is aligned again with central section 8 and plate 9 for a subsequentoperation of parking a new vehicle. Alternatively, once carriageassembly 17/18 has left the vehicle in a parking space 4, the carriageassembly may be moved to another story to remove a car that is beingclaimed at the entrance of the parking building by a driver that needsthe car. All the information about the condition of the parking storiesand spaces may be controlled by a central computer, a P.L.C., etc.,which in turn may operate all the system.

[0036] Once the vehicle removed from a parking space has been left ontothe rotary platform, this platform is rotated with the mechanisms shownin FIG. 8 in order to place the vehicle with the front thereof lookingtowards the exit of the parking building. The rotary platform may berotated along the desired angular degrees to place the vehicle orientedin a position for comfortably going out of the parking building alongany desired direction through the front and/or the rear part of thebuilding, or through any side thereof.

[0037] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

We claim:
 1. A parking structure for receiving a plurality of vehiclescapable of being accommodated in individual parking spaces, the parkingstructure comprising: a parking tower including an entry/exit and aplurality of parking stories, each story having at least one parkingspace, a rotary platform adjacent the entry/exit of the parking towerfor receiving a vehicle and rotating the same, for placing the vehiclein a position for entering the parking tower or for exiting the parkingtower, a lifting platform in the tower, for carrying the vehicles fromthe entry/exit of the parking tower to a desired one of the stories ofthe tower, and from the desired story back to the entry/exit of thetower, and a transfer carriage assembly movable between a position insaid rotary platform for taking a vehicle from the platform and aposition in said lifting platform for carrying the vehicle in thelifting platform up or down to the desired story, and movable from theposition in the lifting platform to a position in the parking story forleaving the vehicle in the desired parking space, and movable back fromthe position in the parking story to the position in the liftingplatform for carrying the vehicle back to the entry/exit of the tower,and movable from the position in the lifting platform to the position inthe rotary platform for leaving the vehicle in the rotary platform. 2.The parking structure of claim 1, wherein the rotary platform comprisestwo side circular sectors and a central sector comprising a centralplate movable between an upper position close to the two side sectors,and a lower position below and spaced apart from the two side sectors,the central plate including a pair of longitudinal rails.
 3. The parkingstructure of claim 2, wherein the rotary platform is mounted in a rotaryframe including stabilizing wheels, driving wheels actuated by hydraulicmotors, and driven wheels connected by means of Cardan joints to thedriving wheels, said side sectors of the rotary platform includingcentering wheels horizontally arranged and running on a cylindrical wallof a cavity wherein said rotary platform is rotatably mounted.
 4. Theparking structure of claim 1, wherein the lifting platform comprises aframe having a pair of opposite sides forming corresponding rails forreceiving the carriage assembly.
 5. The parking structure of claim 4,wherein the transfer carriage assembly comprises a lower carriage and anupper carriage, the lower carriage transversely moving on the liftingplatform and including wheels for running onto said rails of the frameof the lifting platform, the lower carriage including a pair oflongitudinal beams capable of being aligned with the longitudinal railsof the central plate, the upper carriage including wheels supported andrunning onto rails defined by said beams of the lower carriage.
 6. Theparking structure of claim 5, wherein the transfer carriage assembly isprovided with driving means for moving the upper carriage longitudinallyalong said beams of the lower carriage, along said rails of the centralplate and along said parking space, between said positions in the rotaryplatform, in the lifting platform and in the at least one parking space,and for moving the lower carriage along said rails of the liftingplatform, and lifting means for moving the upper carriage up and down.7. The parking structure of claim 6, wherein the lifting means of theupper carriage comprises at least two pivoting arms and at least onehydraulic cylinder connected to the pivoting arms, each arm beingpivotally connected to the upper carriage and including one of saidwheels of the upper carriage.
 8. The parking structure of claim 1,wherein each parking space comprises a vehicle-supporting frame.
 9. Theparking structure of claim 1, wherein the lifting platform runs up anddown guided into a supporting tower and the lifting platform isconnected to at least one driving hydraulic cylinder by means ofresisting cables connected to the supporting tower and to a transversetop beam mounted at an upper end of the hydraulic cylinder.
 10. Theparking structure of claim 1, wherein each parking story has a pluralityof parking spaces.
 11. The parking structure of claim 2, wherein eachside sector of the rotary platform has a plurality of horizontal fingersextending towards the central sector for receiving the respective wheelsof a vehicle, the fingers defining corresponding inter-digital spaces.12. The parking structure of claims 7 and 11, wherein the upper carriagehas a plurality of horizontal fingers extending at each side of thecarriage and being arranged for being capable of passing throughcorresponding ones of said inter-digital spaces of the fingers of theside sectors of the rotary platform, for lifting the vehicle in theupper carriage for transferring the vehicle from the rotary platform tothe lifting platform.
 13. The parking structure of claims 8 and 12,wherein the vehicle supporting frame includes a plurality of horizontalfingers extending at each side of the supporting frame for receivingcorresponding wheels of a vehicle, the fingers defining inter-digitalspaces, and the fingers of the upper carriage being arranged for beingcapable of passing through corresponding ones of said inter-digitalspaces of the fingers of the vehicle supporting frames, for leaving thevehicle onto the vehicle supporting frame.
 14. A parking structure foraccommodating a plurality of vehicles in individual parking spaces, theparking structure comprising: a parking tower including an entry/exitand a plurality of parking stories having parking spaces, a rotaryplatform for receiving each vehicle entering and exiting the parkingtower, a lifting platform for carrying the vehicles up and/or down fromthe entry/exit of the parking tower to the stories and from the storiesback to the entry/exit of the tower, and a transfer carriage assemblyfor transferring the vehicles between the stories and the liftingplatform and between the lifting platform and the rotary platform.